Stuck for the Summer
by Alfie and Vlad
Summary: Natalie's mother forces her to stay at her father's house for the summer. Can she survive? Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
1. Chapter 1

Natalie Reynolds sat in the back of her Grandparents' car. Her mother sat in the passenger seat up front so Natalie was seated in the back with her forehead against the cool glass. Her mother, Abbie Reynolds, turned in her seat so she could look at her. Oh how Nat reminded her of him. The dark eyes that glared, smirked, and sneered, her love for books and potions. The only things that Nat didn't resemble of her father were that large nose, and her hair was much thicker and richer. It was more brown than black.

"Cheer up, darling. It won't be so bad." Ms. Reynolds tried to give some comfort.

Nat lifted her head from the window to turn and glower at her mother. "I've never met the man, yet you insist that I spend the entire summer with him while you go off to Egypt to research plants. I'd much rather sit and be angry and stubborn than 'cheer up'," Nat said irritably.

Ms. Reynolds sighed. Nat's grandmother focused on driving but said, " If you keep that attitude then you will have a terrible summer."

"Good. Then maybe you'll take me home," Nat muttered.

"No, I won't. You'll just have to try and make it as good as possible. Stop complaining and having yourself a pity-party."

"I do not pity myself," Nat spat hotly. "I simply do not wish to meet the guy who abandoned my mother and I!"

"Natalie Eileen! We've talked about this!" Ms. Reynolds gasped.

"It's true! He did! He left us! We could've died and he never would have know, or care!" Nat argued. She turned back to the window and glared at the passing neighborhoods like she wanted them all to burn and crumble.

Ms. Reynolds answered, "You know it was the Marriage Law they instated after the war. Neither of us wanted to marry. You know the situation!" She knew that Nat felt angry about their family's circumstances, but Nat hadn't had an outburst like that since she was eight years old. She was now sixteen; Ms. Reynolds had thought Nat had come to terms that her father and mother just didn't fit. Guess not. Grandmother just kept driving, a grim, somber expression on her face.

After awhile, they turned onto a street named Spinners End. _Well, that's lovely,_ Nat thought. The street was dark and depressing. Houses looked abandoned, yards unkempt, windows smashed in. Nat wondered what sort of place she'd be in for the summer.

"What was the number dear?" Grandmother asked Ms. Reynolds. She muttered the house number, and the car stopped in front of the best looking house on the street. Not by much though. It looked like the yard was barely managed; wood planks that had fallen from the house were piled up on the dangerous looking patio, a window cracked, and what looked like a broken microwave shoved unceremoniously to the side of the unfriendly door.

Nat stepped out of the car and stared at the house falling apart. "Lovely place." She mumbled. "Sure you don't want to take me with you?" Ms. Reynolds gave her a stern look that obviously said 'No, now stop saying that.'

Nat raised her eyebrows innocently. Her gaze returned to the dwelling along with an expression of disdain. "Go up and ring the doorbell, Nat." Her mother suggested.

"I don't know. Do you think the porch is sturdy enough? One step, and I might just fall right into some deep chasm." Another strict look, and Nat trudged up to the door. The porch did creak and groan, but Nat didn't fall into some dark abyss. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell, or rather, tried to. The button was stuck and Nat gave up. Instead she knocked on the door. A few minutes passed and the door was not opened. Nat knocked again, a little half-heartedly. Another few minutes passed and Nat looked over her shoulder and shrugged to her mother. She began to turn around and walk back to the car.

Ms. Reynolds put on a look of determination and grabbed Nat's hand. She walked up to the door and started to bang on it. "Severus!" She called. "Severus Snape! I know you're in there! Open the door!"

Silence.

"I won't leave until you open this door!"

Suddenly the door opened a crack. Then it closed with a slam. "Now go away!" a deep baritone voice called from the other side of the door.

Ms. Reynolds huffed and resumed knocking. "Mum," Nat tried to sound reasonable. "He obviously doesn't want us to be here, so let's go. I wouldn't mind going to Egypt. You could show me that new plant you're trying to cross breed."

"The Egyptian Mercus tree cannot cross breed. I'm trying to expand its growing capacity." Ms. Reynolds replied still knocking on the door.

Nat sighed and started to walk back towards the car. "Oh no you don't!" Her mother cried, ceasing the knocking that was surely giving Severus Snape a headache and grabbing her daughter by the arm. She yanked her back to the porch and calmly said to the door, "We had an agreement, Severus. Don't make me go to Minerva."

At the last comment Nat groaned almost as loud as the door that flew open. There stood a very tall man. His raven hair hung in his face and he glowered at Ms. Reynolds. Nat's eyebrows rose at the man that she supposed was her father. She looked almost exactly like him. Same eyes, same body structure, everything. Only, Nat noticed that his eyes looked haunted. As if his past held many shadowy and terrible secrets.

"Don't go to Minerva. She has been trying to get me to reclaim my post as a teacher there and I'm running out of excuses. Besides, I never agreed to anything. _You_ said that you would drop her," he glanced at Nat, "off for the summer."

"See, Mum? He doesn't even want me here! Just take me to Egypt with you!" Nat pleaded, trying to sound convincing.

The man looked at Nat. "Egypt? Why Egypt?" He questioned.

"Oh, Mum is doing research there on a Amazonian Marcus shrub or something." Nat said dismissively.

Ms. Reynolds huffed. "_It's the Egyptian Mercus Tree!_"

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go." Nat grabbed her mother's hand and tried to pull her back to the car. She could see Grandmother waiting patiently in the driver's seat.

Ms. Reynolds pulled out of her daughter's grasp and pointed her wand at Snape. She glared at him and said, "She is going to stay with you for the summer. Please Severus," she added quietly.

Snape didn't even flinch when Ms. Reynolds brought out her wand. He leaned against the doorjamb, and had an amused expression on his face. "Alright." He submitted. "Only for the summer. But," he added, "If she becomes annoying, I will send her back." Nat could have sworn they were talking about an animal or a package. Not there sixteen your old daughter.

Ms. Reynolds nodded and set Nat's shrunken luggage next to her. "Goodbye darling," She pulled Nat into a hug, which Nat did not return. Instead she scowled and struggled against it. "I know you're upset, but you'll have a good time. Then you can go back to Hogwarts." Ms. Reynolds said into Nat's hair.

Nat succeeded in pulling away and looked at the cracked window. "Whatever."

Ms. Reynolds sighed yet again and finally walked back to the car. Though, without Nat. They drove off and left Nat with her luggage and Severus Snape, her father.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's characters.

Chapter 2

The inside of the house was worse. It smelled as if multiple things had died, all at the same time. The curtains were drawn, so it was dark. A roaring fire was the only thing shedding light. As Nat and Severus moved throught the house she regretted not fighting with teeth and claws with her mother. It was a two-story house, but the staircase had been blown apart. The kitchen was an absolute disaster. The fridge didn't have a door, cabinets had also been blown apart, a table had three legs, chairs were broken apart, and mold was camped out on countertops.

"How do you live?" Nat had gagged out after leaving the kitchen.

Severus just glared and stalked back to the living-room where he plunked down in an armchair. Nat repeated her question and placed herself in front of him, denying him the pleasure of staring into the flames. He scowled up at her, and she scowled back. "I usually eat out," He said in a clipped tone.

"Every day?" Nat said unbelieving.

"Indeed," was the answer Snape graced her with.

Nat pursed her lips and held his gaze evenly. Neither person knew how long they sat there, just glowering at each other. Their staring match was broken when the fire sputtered and a familiar voice called, "Hello?"

Nat and Severus both groaned. Minerva McGonagall's head had appeared in the fireplace and smiled at them from her position. Nat turned and kneeled in front of the fire. "Hello Minerva," she said.

Severus grunted behind her.

"Oh hello dear! I had no idea you'd be at Severus' house!" The old woman exclaimed.

"Yes, my mother dropped me off..." she hesitated. "...here."

"Really? And how are you liking it there?"

"I'm not," Nat replied testily. Minerva's smile faltered.

At this point, Severus got up and stood in front of the fireplace. "What do you want?"

Minerva smiled sweetly and said, "I simply wanted to make sure you were all right, Severus. Making sure you didn't drink yourself to death since the last time I saw you."

"My mum sent you, didn't she?" Nat questioned.

Minerva looked at Nat for a long moment and nodded. "Abbie said that she arranged to have you stay here for the summer. She was very upset that you two didn't want to spend time with each other."

"Spending time with and living with are completely different!" Nat yelled. "She didn't even ask me! I don't want to be here! He doesn't want me here," She jerked her thumb at Severus. "I don't want to spend time with him. I don't want to know him." Nat stated her last sentence low and deadly. It was a sounded just like Severus when he spoke to someone who annoyed him. It was laced with loathing and fury.

Nat stood and ran out the door. It was rather childish, but at this point Nat didn't care. Marriage law or no, she blamed _him_ for her mother's unhappiness. She blamed him for her own unhappiness. She blamed him for everything. Every hardship, every sadness, every moment that Nat felt lost and abandonded lay on his shoulders. She hated him.

AN: Yay! Got it updated! R&R


	3. Chapter 4

As she ran, tears streamed down Nat's face. She had never faced her problems like that before. Whenver she felt bad about it, she would retire to her room and face them by herself, not trusting anhone, even her mother. Nat preferred to lick her wounds in private, for all things, and so she did. Coming out and screaming it at someone she had barely met, and a woman whom her mother greatly respected, was very daunting and unsettling. Nat wasn't used to that.

It was all true though. Ms. Reynolds hadn't even asked her. Her own mother! It seemed she just wanted her out of the house and away so Ms. Reynolds could have "alone time". Nat scoffed, _as if she doesn't get enough. I'm never there anyway. Always at Hogwarts. Dear Merlin... _Oh how she missed Hogwarts. The familiar stone walls, magical air, comforting grounds, beloved library, and cherished quidditch pitch. Even when she was eleven, Nat felt as if she was shoved out the door and onto the Hogwarts Express. It wasn't like she didn't want to go, of course she was excited! The place her mother had gone to school and loved. It was also the place her parents had met. Ms. Reynolds said that they had never loved each other, but they had known each other at school.

Nat had a stitch in her side and she slowed. She wiped her salty tears from her face and willed them to stop falling. The young woman blinked several times before the tears stopped. She turned her face towards the sky and breathed in. The sky was overcast and the smell of rain filled her nostrils. The sweet smell calmed her and she took a deep breath. It was then that she realized that she had no idea where she was. Houses were still lined up, but they were nicer than on Spinner's End. They were properly cared for and looked nice.

"You alright?" A male voice sounded in her ears. She whipped around to see a boy standing before her. A muggle boy.

"Fine," she said coldly and started to stalk off in the opposite direction. Only, as forementioned, she was lost and had no idea which direction to go.

"You didn't look fine when you ran onto the street sobbing," He answered quietly.

She spun around again, her eyes narrowed, and stared at him for a long time. He shifted under her gaze uneasily, every once in a while he ran a large hand through his brown-blonde hair. He finally shoved his hands into his torn jeans and said, "Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked really upset."

There was another pregnant pause. When the young man raised his dark green eyes to her electric blue ones she answered, "Forgive me, but I'm not about to tell all my problems to a stranger. Even if he was trying to be a gentlemen." He looked back down at his shoes. Nat rolled her eyes and desided to give up her pride just for a moment. "Could you tell me how to get to Spinner's End?"

Nat surmised that she wouldn't go into that disgusting house, just stay on the street until she got too tired.

What the young man said next surprised her immensly. "Why? Why would you want to go to that terrible place?"

She was so surprised that she answered him. "M-my mother dropped me off at my father's house for the summer."

"Your father..." his voice trailer off. Then he suddenly looked back up at her shock written in his eyes. "I didn't know Snape was married."

Now Nat was shocked. "You know him?"

The boy shook his hand side to side. "Not really."

"Oh, well, he's not married. My mother and father had an-" What was the muggle word for annulment? "Got a divorce."

"Oh," he responded. "Well, uh, yeah sure I'll show you where it is."

They walked side by side for several minutes. Nat realized how far she had ran. "My name is Madden." They boy said.

"Little dog?" Nat asked. She loved to learn the meaning of names. Madden was from irish origin and meant Little dog.

Madden chuckled. "Yeah, I'm the youngest in my family. The 'runt' I guess. I have four brothers and a sister." Nat looked up at Madden. He had broad shoulders and was very tall. Almost as tall as Snape. If he was the 'runt', Nat wondered how big his brothers and sister were.

"I'm Nat. Well, Natalie," she stuck out her hand which he shook.

"It's nice to meet you Natalie. Born on Christmas?" He smiled at her.

She hesitated before speaking. Should she tell him? How could she trust this boy that she had only just met? "No. Christmas was the day that-" she faltered. "My mum left my dad. She says that's the day she was free. Reborn. She says that even though I wasn't even born, I was free too."

They were silent for a moment again, but it seemed Madden was too curious. "What happened?"

Nat didn't answer for a while. They houses started looking familiar. They were all broken and unmanagable. "I don't know."

She turned to look at Madden only to see him regarding her intensly. Then she saw something she didn't like. Not at all. Pity.

Nat turned away from him, disgusted with herself and him. She didn't want his pity or sympathy. Nat said curtly to him, "I don't want your pity. Thank you showing me back to my street." She started to walk faster, away from him.

He sped up too. "Wait, Natalie! I don't have pity for you! Only sympathy." Wrong thing to say.

"I don't want anything from you!" She faced him again. "I dont' need anything from you. I'm just figuring out some problems."

Madden started to say something but was cut off by a baritone voice. "Mr. Onslow, what do you think you're doing?" The two teenagers looked up at the house they were in front of. Snape stood with his arms folded across his chest looking at Madden down his large, imposing nose.

"Nothing Mr. Snape. Just trying to talk to talk to your daughter, sir," He answered looking down at his trainers again.

Snape narrowed his eyes at Nat. "You told him?"

Nat looked at Madden and then at her father. "No, I didn't actually. He figured it out himself." She looked back at Madden. "How?"

"He's the only one on this street that is relatively young. The others on this street are all close to death or too old to have a kid as young as you are," He answered tentatively, still looking at the ground

Snape huffed and said, "Natalie, come inside. You've been gone too long." Unwilling to get Snape angry she folloed him up the steps into the house. Before she entered she looked over her shoulder and gave a small smile. Maybe he wasn't so bad. He was smart, and logical. That was for sure.

A/N: Yes! Mission accomlished! Finally got Madden in there. Madden really does mean Little dog and is Irish. Thanks for reading! Review please.


	4. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of thus characters. that all belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling.

Stupid Abbie. Idiotic Abbie. Brainless Abbie.

There were not enough adjectives for that woman. She did contact Severus and let him know that their daughter was going to spend the summer with him, but it really wasn't up for debate. Abbie really didn't think on how this was going to affect him. She hadn't even asked him! Apparently she hadn't asked Nat either. The way his daughter was reacting you'd think she was going to be put to death.

Severus looked around. The stairs blasted apart, the state the kitchen was in, and everything else uninhabitable about this house. The only two rooms in the house that were in a normal state were the living room and... Nat's room... his room. His old room.

Severus shuddered at the thought of that room. The terrible things that had happened in there always made Severus want to get up and go to his liquor cabinet and drink until unconscious. He never did though. His father was always drunk when he beat Severus in that room. It would remind Severus of the way his father had used liquor to drown his problems. Severus learned that alcohol didn't just numb old problems, it created new ones.

He stared into the fire. Alcohol had never been a friend, an outlet. It had always caused problems.

_Severus tipped the bottle back. The liquid rolled across his tongue and burned down his throat. Ah, the good taste of whiskey. _

"_Severus? Severus, I need some help," a female voice called from his kitchen. _

"_B' righ' there," he slurred, standing. His legs were wobbly beneath him, but he walked to the kitchen door anyway. _

_Without his consent his knees buckled from beneath him, and he crashed to the floor with a grunt. A pot was set down in the kitchen and the door swung open to reveal Abbie Snape. The lovely woman who was enormous with his child. She shrieked and kneeled down to help him up. _

"_Severus? What the heck? What are you doing?" She questioned urgently. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Then in a more disgusted tone, "Have you been drinking?" _

_Severus was silent for a moment obviously thinking it over. "I fell. I'm fine," he flashed a smile at her. "No, and," he hesitated before answering. _

"_And?"_

"_Yes." _

"_Severus! You shouldn't be drinking! You know what it does to you!" She berated. _

"_'M fine," Severus tried to stand on his own, but almost fell again. _

"_Severus, I swear I'm going to take it away! All away!" She set him on the couch. "You're always angry! I can't take it anymore!"_

_By this time, Severus was getting very angry. Take away his liquor? No, no way that was happening. _

_He stood up, towering over his wife; she suddenly felt very small. "No. You will not."_

"_But Severus," _

_SMACK! _

"_I said no!" he yelled at her. A bruise was already forming on her cheek. She looked up at him in fear, her vision blurred by salty tears. How could he have hit her? Severus was a loving husband for the most part. Obviously this wasn't her loving husband. _

_Abbie got up and started to waddle away from him towards the door, her hands protectively over her stomach. He reached out and grabbed her roughly. "Understand?"_

"_Y-yes," Abbie answered terrified, not only for herself, but for the baby. _

"_Good." He let her go and sat back down in his armchair while Abbie hurried away. _

_Before long, Severus had passed out. Abbie went straight upstairs and packed her and the baby's things, shrinking them down into the large suitcase. Her tears belatedly started to fall and she collapsed to her knees, one hand on her cheek where he had hit her, the other on her belly. She cried freely for minutes, hours, she couldn't tell. After she got a hold of herself, she shrunk the suitcase and donned her traveling cloak. _

_Tiptoeing downstairs, Abbie made her way to the fireplace. He still slept in front of it, but since the war was over, he slept heavily. Abbie wasn't worried about him waking until morning. She looked at her husband a moment longer. Thinking of the many times he had told her he loved her. Fresh tears threatened to fall and Abbie turned and threw floo powder into the fireplace. The flames roared green, and she was gone. _

Severus looked into the fire. The flames danced and feasted upon the log in the fireplace. They teased him mocked him in his misery.

No, alcohol never was good for him. It never would be.

A/N: SOOOOO sorry this late! I'll be better from now on. Sorry this is pretty short. Explains some stuff though that will come in handy. Thanks for reading! Please review.


	5. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry this came so late! I wasn't really happy with what I had wrote, so I kinda had to start over... There will be more soon though! Promise!**

Chapter 6

Nat figured she'd been in her room for a few hours, but there was no way to tell. There was no clock, and her watch had been thrust hastily into her luggage. The sky had grown dark so that was one indication that it had been awhile.

She sighed and looked around the bland room. Nothing like the one she had at home. At home in Bath, her room was covered completely in posters, pictures of friends, and sheet music she had pinned onto the wall for later analysis. Her mother had often complained that there was not a centimeter of the beautiful tan she had painted Nat's room with. It was true. Not a centimeter.

But this room, was boring. Bland. Dull . Blank. In other words, Nat hated it. She sneered (one that would make her father proud) at the worn, wool blanket she sat upon. The walls were white, and yellow water stains coated the ceiling. The wood flooring looked like it used to shine, but now was scratched, and dim. There were even some dents in it.

Nat began to think of the mysterious man down the hall. He seemed so closed off and angry. Was that why her parents had separated? "The marriage law," her mother had said, "had been repealed a few months earlier, but the law wasn't the problem, your father was." Nat didn't completely believe this. Abbie Reynolds was a little self centered and put the blame on others instead of taking responsibility. That was part of the reason Nat had a hard childhood; no father to speak of, and a mother that blamed almost everything on her.

Nat lay back on the flat pillow, which had seen better days. The brown stains on the ceiling staring down at her. This whole house was falling apart, no doubt magically destroyed. Nat could feel the signature of magic upon the stairs. The rotting, well, that was neglect. But, why was Severus Snape neglecting his house? Her mother had lived here at one point, and she was neat freak, so it had probably started after Abbie left. He said he ate out all the time, but to eat out, one has to have money. If he had money, why didn't he fix up his house? _He probably doesn't care, _She thought. _If he doesn't care, what does he care about? _Nat thought about this for awhile until her eyes closed, and she drifted off.

_In her dream, Nat was a little girl again. Her thick brown hair braided, wearing small blue robes, and carrying a stuffed dog that barked if she said the right words. She was running through trees, a forest. A deep voice called out for her. But she couldn't hear what the words were, and when she turned, no one was there. _

_Her small trainers made footprints in the mud, but Nat didn't want to be followed. She stopped running to catch her breath. She started to hear the voice again, it sounded worried. Nat didn't want to be caught by the voice and tried to run, but she was too tired and fell. A shadow came over her and she turned. There stood her father, but he was much younger, the lines on his face not pronounced. "Don't run away from me like that, Natalie! I got so scared!" _

_Nat stood, and she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was a woman. Taller than she was now, and Snape changed as well. He was now a man with sandy blonde hair, and a contagious smile. He put his strong arms around her and drew her close. He put his mouth to hers: she gasped, and he chuckled. He moved his lips against hers and she responded in kind. A dog barked at their feet which were bare. They stood in a green field, one that seemed familiar but Nat could determine where it was. _

Nat's eyes snapped open. She sat up too quickly and little red and blue sparks dancing in her vision. She groaned and put her head in her hands. Nat thought about the dream for a long time, trying to interpret it.

When she was running as a child, it was her childhood where she had no father. Then, when he caught up to her, it was now when she had him, but he had cared about her. Nat had blamed Snape for her and her mother's unhappiness, but maybe he had been unhappy too. That could explain his house. But then there was the man. Who had put his arms around her and kissed her. It wasn't Madden, that was for sure, but why would she dream of a stranger? Or someone who wasn't real? Why had they been kissing? That was the real problem. That they had kissed, and it was the best Nat had ever had. It wasn't even real! Nat couldn't figure it out.

**A/N: Please review!**


	6. Chapter 7

A/N: Here's another one.

Chapter 7

The next morning, Nat arose to the sun shining right into her eyes. She hadn't realized she had left the faded curtains open.

Nat walked down the hall and into the living room. The fire was roaring and shedding the only light. Nat wondered when the last time the curtains had been opened. By the looks of them, the faded brown color and dust covering it, it had been a very long time. She trust the curtains aside and the sunlight streamed in.

Nat jumped when a voice groaned, "No, close the shades. Too bright." She turned and there was Snape. He looked like he had slept in the same clothes as yesterday, his hair was rumpled, and his black clad arm was covering his eyes as he groaned. "Close them," he pleaded tiredly.

Nat frowned but did as she was asked. She turned and put her hands on her hips while glowering. He removed his arm and looked up into her scowling face. He realized how much she looked like him. Nat was definitely his daughter. That scared him. Did her personality resemble him too? Those black eyes glared at him as he would glare at anyone else.

"Did you sleep here?" She asked. Severus was still amazed at the fact that she looked like him.

"Hello?" Nat waved her hands in front of his face and he jumped from his reverie. "Did you sleep here last night?"

"Yes," he grumbled. "I always do. Just forgot to change."

Nat pursed her lips and looked disapprovingly at him. Now, she looked like Abbie after he had woken from an alcohol induced sleep. He would never forget her disappointment in him. "That has got to stop," She said firmly. "You can't sleep out here all the time. It's bad for you."

"How would you know?" He shot back. "You've only been here for a day."

"The fact that I've only been here a day, and I can tell that something is wrong. That's how obvious."

"Or you're just observant?" Severus suggested.

Nat smirked evilly. Severus was surprised at the familiarity of that smirk. "Maybe. Now," Nat continued, "sleeping out here is terribly bad for you. You'll develop back problems, if you haven't already, and you look like you slept outside with those clothes. I wouldn't be surprised if you do," she said snobbishly.

Severus wondered what house Nat was in at Hogwarts. She was trying to manipulate him, but doing it rather up-front. She could always be in Ravenclaw, Abbie was, and there was no way his child was going to be in Hufflepuff. (Wait, his child? He would have to go over that phrase later.) Most likely Nat was in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. The bluntness of her comments on his house's condition might be the way Nat interpreted the best way he would receive things at the moment.

At the most inopportune moment, the fire roared. "Hello?" The familiar female voice grated on Severus and Nat's nerves.

"Ah! There you are Nat!" The voice exclaimed at her back. "I'm wondering if I could come through?"

Severus nodded and Nat turned to the disembodied head of Minerva and answered shortly, "Sure."

"Wonderful!" Minerva said as she stepped through. As soon as she wiped herself of soot, Minerva reached out and pulled Nat into a bear hug. Nat didn't lift her arms or even fought, she just waited for it to be over.

"And Severus," Minerva said. "How are you?"

"Dandy," was the tired, annoyed reply.

Minerva looked at him with disapproval. "Did you sleep in those clothes?"

Nat gave Severus a look and said, "Yes, and he slept out here on the couch apparently." Minerva turned back to him, the disappointment still shining in her eyes.

After a few moments of silence Minerva seated herself upon the couch. "Well, down to business," She looked at Nat. "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me for lunch? There is a small cafe a few neighborhoods over." Nat risked a glance at Snape. He had flung his arm over his eyes again. Minerva had an expectant expression, and Nat sighed. "Sure."

Minerva clapped her hands. "Lovely! Now come along dear,"

"Just as long as we come back before too long. I still need to unpack."

"Of course, of course. Good-bye Severus," Minerva stated then hurried out of the gloomy house.

Snape had removed his arm and was looking at Nat with a blank expression. "Get a move on."

"I hope you realize," Nat said, "that I'll be coming back. And when I come back I will unpack. Then," she looked him directly in the eyes, seemingly into his soul, "We will be cleaning this condemned house."


	7. Author's Note

I apologize for the no updates! I will pick this story up during the summer. Or the winter if you're below the equator... Anyway! I give my sincere apologies for the neglect and abuse of this story, but I shall pick it up again soon!


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